Overview
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said remains found Dec. 6 off Utah State Route 24 in Wayne County were identified Dec. 22 as 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.
- Authorities said Melodee died from gunshot wounds to the head, with no firearm recovered as the investigation continues.
- Detectives reported cartridge and ammunition evidence consistent with casings at the Utah scene and items seized from Ashlee Buzzard’s home and the rented vehicle.
- Ashlee Buzzard, 40, was arrested Dec. 23 in Vandenberg Village and booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, with no bail listed.
- Investigators traced an Oct. 7–10 road trip during which the pair wore wigs and the rental car briefly bore a swapped New York license plate, with the child last seen Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border and not present when her mother returned Oct. 10.